Im sorry if this is a dumb question but i'm new to hunting (Big game). Anyway, when i go to field dress a deer and want to have the head mounted, do i have to do anything special to the head? angain sorry if this is a dumb question
not while you field dress. if you plan on removing the head yourself, then you must leave as much extra hide as posable. You'll need to skin it past the shoulders and to the middle of the rib cage. heres a helpful video on "How not to gut a deer!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOBMv0tvulY&feature=related
you have to do a cape if you're going to do a shoulder mount meaning cut a lot of the skin off, probably down to the neck. Then you will need to make sure you place the hide and head and skull into a trash bag or something that will protect it until you turn it in to the taxidermist. Hope this helps
I'll hang if I have someone to help load the deer and as long as we don't have a long haul to the truck. If I have a long haul to the truck I will always field dress to lighten the load. Gravity does help with everything coming out and is cleaner in my opinion. Depends if you are caping the deer. We will hang if boning out the meat ourselves. Any bucks that we have mounted we have always taken to locker and had them cape it out after field dressing. I don't think caping it yourself would be that hard, but I don't have the knowledge to do it yet. I'll use a hand saw to cut through the ribs while hanging. Saves your knife a bit. Allows you better access to get everything cleaned out too.
I always gut it in the field but not on a trail. it best if your on a hill and the have the head pointing up the hill. Then cut from the bottom up to the ribs, using you fingers to guide the blade. (this keeps the knife from cutting the poop bag. Next cut up the center of the ribs and reach in with your knife, as far up as you can, and cut the throat tube. next cut through the center of the legs and through the hip bone. now, you reach back in the upper cavity and grad the throat tube and pull out straight back. all the guts should come out in a nice pile. last you'll want to turn the deer over, so that cavity is open and facing the ground. this will drain most of the blood out. let it sit for a few moments, and start dragging.
Or a least put in a plastic trash bag and freeze until then!! Not 1-2 years!!!!! - months maybe! Don't forget to eat what's left! Food first, trophy 2nd. Sorry thats just how we roll. Splitting the pelvis will be the most difficult... we saw through! This must be done to get the large intestine out with the Guts... Don't forget...or you will have Deer $hit where you don't want it!.... This is were the Butt Out People come in or you can do it the old fashioned way split the pelvis! Also, rinse the entire deer with hose & water to rinse and $hit you missed! Before hanging! My mouth is watering thinking about it! And a good question! Deer is a (Red meat) if you must add fat use (Beef Fat)! Beef (Red meat)! please don't ruin it with pork (white meat)!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewCVFkkyQC4 There are a lot of video's on youtube I think this one is very informative.
